Circuit-interrupting device



N. W. STORER.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPIING DEVICE.

APFLICATIQN FILED JAN 8. I917- 1,374,534, Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Norman W Sforer ATTORNEY NORMAN W. STOREB,

HOUSE ELECTRIC BYLYANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

0]! PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 1'0 WESTING- 80 MANUFACTURING GOMPAQNY, A CORPORATION OF PENN- cmcurr-mrnnnerrmo mi'vicn.

Patented Apr.'12, 1921.

Application filed January s, 1911,. Serial No. 140,920.

To all wlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN W! a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Circuit-Interrupting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for, and methods of, automatically interrupting electrical circuits, under predetermined conditions.

(lne object of my invention is to provide an automatic circuit interrupter having no movable parts.

Another object of m invention is to provide means whereby tie current traversing a circuit may be reduced to a safe value when an overload or short ci1'cuit.occurs thereon that tends to produce a surge of current.

A further object of my invention is 'to provide a device, of the abov flit-indicated character, that shall be e'fiectl l'f and reliable in its operation and simple to construct.

In the carrying out of my invention, I provide a vacuum-electric apparatus, such as a mercury-vapor valve or converter, and a transformer the primary winding of which is connected in serieswith the valve and the electric circuit. The secondary winding of the transformer is adapted to have a smaller number of turns than the primary winding and is connected in series with a current-limiting resistor, and the circuit. thus constituted, is connected in shunt relation to the valve. Under-normal conditions, since the device is used in connection with a direct-current circuit, no voltage is induced in the secondary winding; How! ever, when a short circuit or an overload occurs on the circuit, the primary winding will cause the. current to be shunted from the valve to extinguish its are and to establish a relatively high-resistance path for the current for the purpose of reducing it to a safe value. p

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a diagrammatic view of an electrical circuit. embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a, diagrammatic view of a modified form of electric circuit embodying my invention.

A direct-current circuit 1 comprises, in eenera1. .,a. generator 2 or other source of S'roium,

1 in the normal direction,

electromotive force, an interrupting device 3 and a load 4.

vacuum-electric apparatus 5 such as a mercury-vapor valve or converter a transformer 6 having a primer windin 7 that is connected in series wit the va ve 5, a magnetizable core memberB' having an air gap 9 therein and a secondary winding 10. n athustable current-limiting resistor 11 18 connected in series with the winding 10 and the circuit, thus constituted, is connected in shunt relation to the valve 5 in such manner that it normally tends to force current throughthevalve ina direction opposite to the normal direction of flow therethrough.

The winding 10 has a smaller number of turns of less resistance than the winding 7. Thus, whenthe current that traverses the circuit '1 changes quick] because of a ground or short-circuit t ereon, substanstantially all of the current-that traverses the circuit'will be caused to flow through the resistor 11.. However, since the resistor 1'1- and the winding '10 are connected in same relation to the valve 5 in a manner as hereinbefore set forth, when this condi tion obtains, insufiicient current will traverse the 'alve 5 to maintain its are. Thus,

the arc in the valve 5 will be extinguished and a relatively small current will traverse the winding 10 and the circuit 1, because of the presence'of the resistor 11.

If it is desired to use my circuit-interrupting device in connection with a direct-current circuit in which energy is regenerated, I provide two parallel-connectedoppositelydisposed vacuum-electric devices 12 and 13, substantially as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings; The valves 12 and 13 are so arranged 'hat current, traversing the circuit will traverse the valve '12, and the regenerated 'rrent will traverse the valve 13. By this arrangement, the current that traverses the circuit in the normal direction may be limited by the re-' sister 11, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, when an overload or other disturbance upon the circuit causes the current traversing the same to change quickly, and a substantially unobstructed path is provided for the regenerated current to traverse the circuit.

1 do not l mit my invention the P912:

The interrupting dev1ce 3 comprises awith t ticular structures illustrated as it ma variously modified without departing tom the spirit andscope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims. 1 v -I claim-as my invention:

1. In an electric circuit, the combination with a vacuum-electric apparatus normally traversed 'by current in one direction, of ati'ansformer the prime winding of which is connected in series Wlth .the vacuumrelec- "IlfllilOIl with a vapor 1 valve there of a "jtransformer, and means aratu's, a resistor connected in series e secondary winding of the trans former, the circuit thus constituted 'being so connected'in parallel relation to the vacuumelectricLapgnratus as to tend to force cur-' rent'theret rough in theincorrcct direction.

2. In a electric circuit, the combination with an asymmetric valve connected in series with the circuit and normally traversed by current in onedirection, of a transformer the primary winding of which is connected in series with-the valve and the secondary winding of-which is so connected in shunt relation to the valve as to tend 'to force current therethrough in the incorrect direction.

3. In an electric circuit, the combination with an asymmetric valve, of.a transformer the primary winding offwhich is connected in series with the valve and the seccnda windin of which is so connected to the valve t lat, when the current traversing the circuit ianges quickly, the same is shunted around t 1e valve to render the same inoperative.

trio app with an asymmetric valve normally traversed by current in one direction, of a transformer the primarynvinding of which is connected in series with the valve and the secondary winding of which is so connected in shunt relation to tifswalve as to tend to force current therethrou'gh in the incorrect direction.

5. In an electric circuit, the combination with a vapor valve, of a. transformer the primary winding of which is connected in series with the valve, and a resistor connected in series with the secondary windin of the transformer, resistor and secondary. -winding being so'pro rtioned and so connected to the valve at, when the current traversing the circuit changes quickly, sufiicient current will be shun'tedaround the valve to extinguish its are.

6. In an electric ci hit; the combination with a plurality Qp sitelyv-disposed parallelconnectedvapor va yes, of a transl iqluickly and to reduce the current 4. In anselectric circuit, the eombmatl on' ranges-ii former the primary winding of which is connected in series .with the valves and the electric circuit, and a resistor connected in series with the secondary winding of ,the transformer, said resistor and secondary winding being connected in'shunt relation to the valves in such manner as to tend/ to cause one of the valves to have an opposite p0- larity.

7. Inc direct-current circuit, theicombifor so=connecting the transformer to the. valve that, when the current", traversing the circuit changes quickly, suflicient current will be shunted around the valve to extinguish-its arc.

8. In an electric circuit, the combination with a vapor valve, of a transformer, a resistor and means for so connecting the transiormer and the resistor to the valve that, when the current that traverses the circuit changes quickly, suflicient current will be shunted around the valve to extinquish the around the resistor will he inserted'in the circuit to reduce the current traversing the same.

9-. In a direct-current circuit, the combination with a vapor valve connected in series with the circuit, of a resistor, and in ductive means so connected to the resistor and,.,to.the valve as to shunt the current around the valve toextinguish its are when thecurrent traversing the circuit changes -t \e circuit.

connected in series with the circuit, of means connected to the circuit and to the traversing f 10. In a direct-currcnt clrcult, the comln-p YIIIIUOIL with a vacuum-electric apparatus said apparatus for extinguishing the arc of the vucuunrclcctric apparatus when the current traversing the circuit changes quickly and for reducing the current traversing the circuit.

,11. The method of reducing the current traversin an electrical circuit, which consists in s1unting,the current around a mor- 'oury-vapor device connected in the circuit by inducing the currentto traverse a rela tively high-resistance path in shunt relation to the mercury-vapor device only when the current traversing the circuit .changes quickly.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed mv name this 28th day of Dee,

- NORMAN W. STORER. 

